Harry Funk stories, Page 17
Plum students wow school board
A distinctive element of Plum Borough School Board’s monthly action meetings is the substantial amount of emphasis on students’ achievements. The Feb. 28 meeting, for example, opened with a variety of accolades and even a few musical numbers to a packed audience in the high school library. Showcasing their singing...
Gateway welcomes new directors for spring musical, ‘Mamma Mia!’
One is a former Radio City Rockette, as a dancer, director and choreographer. The other has acted alongside the likes of Eddie Murphy and George Lopez. Today, they’re taking on the task of succeeding a legend in local theater. Last spring marked the final Gateway High School production for Larry...
‘Nonstop laughter’: Riverview presents ‘Young Frankenstein’ musical in Oakmont
Perhaps you’ve seen Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” so many times that, to your wife’s dismay, you can quote right along with most of the script. For a musical spin on the cinematic classic, Oakmont is the place to go. “It’s amazing, the comedy added within the songs,” JohnPaul Bertucci said....
Bethel Park Interact Club ‘always looking to help others’
For more than a century, Rotary International has carried the motto of Service Above Self. The spirit seems to be alive for the next generation in Bethel Park. “I see a lot of kids who have a drive for community service, and they’re always looking to help other people,” high...
Gateway’s Girls Leadership Academy prepares students for future
Today’s teenagers may have trouble generating a whole lot of optimism about tomorrow. A Gateway High School effort led by counselor Colleen Tortorella could help point a group of students in a positive direction. “When kids have hope, when they see that there is a future, then they’ll work toward...
Baldwin artist plans installment in Sharpsburg to address coping with grief
Let’s discuss grief. Or, as tends to be the case, let’s not. “I think people feel like they’re being a burden by talking about it,” Baldwin Borough resident Amanda Filippelli said. “But it affects every single one of us, especially after covid, whether it’s a person or their job or...
Students inform Gateway School Board of Black Student Union initiatives
For members of the Black Student Union at Gateway High School, each February represents a prime opportunity to promote the club’s objective of focusing on the richness of the school’s ethnic diversity. Several of the members attended the Feb. 21 Gateway School Board meeting to speak about their activities in...
‘Budding & Wilted Roses’: Monroeville resident celebrates book of her poetry
Popular reading material among seventh-graders is likely to be along the lines of, say, teen romances or comic books. But that doesn’t apply across the board. “I was a big fan of Shakespearean sonnets and writing at 12 years old,” Monroeville resident Susan Frazier DeLaney said. “One of my teachers...
Plenty of improvement with Hampton High School project
One of the benefits of the Hampton High School renovation project is evident as soon as visitors start approaching the building. New access roads, improved traffic flow and a well-lit, redesigned parking lot complement the school’s recently opened interior addition. “We happen to feel very strongly that the design of...
Chartiers Valley area happenings, week of Feb. 20, 2023
‘Cinderella’ set for Feb. 25-26 The children’s play “Cinderella” will be presented by the Carnegie Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 and 2 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Andrew Carnegie Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Ave., Carnegie. Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for children, students and seniors, and...
Little Medical School in Hampton offers hope for health care future
If the growing need for health care professionals has you concerned, Dr. Kirsten Lin is working on a solution. The McCandless physician is the owner of Little Medical School of Greater Pittsburgh, with its office in the same building as her family practice on Route 8 in Hampton. Focusing on...
Monroeville Council approves site plan for Gateway project
Gateway School District has received municipal approval for a site plan to construct a surface on which the high school band can practice as opposed to a parking lot. On Feb. 14, Monroeville Council voted 6-1 in favor of the plan, which calls for use of an athletic field that...
Oakmont residents have chance at naming goat
It’s time for Oakmont residents to name that goat. March 7 is the due date for Mia, one of the animals brought to graze in the borough during the summer as an environmentally friendly way to clear unwanted vegetation along the Allegheny River. Until 4:30 p.m. that day, ideas for...
Oakmont: Name that goat!
It’s time for Oakmont residents to name that goat. March 7 is the due date for Mia, one of the animals brought to graze in the borough during the summer as an environmentally friendly way to clear unwanted vegetation along the Allegheny River. Until 4:30 p.m. that day, ideas for...
Teacher, co-author work on ‘Chartiers Valley History for Kids’
Getting youngsters excited about their community’s past can be a tricky proposition, but a Chartiers Valley Primary School educator has her second-graders making exclamations along the lines of: “Old St. Luke’s! I know where that is!” The 268-year-old church in Scott is among the landmarks throughout the school district featured...
Chartiers Valley students prepare to stage ‘9 to 5: The Musical’
The hit movie “9 to 5” may have come out decades before Madelyn Sams was born, but its theme of women’s empowerment strikes a major chord with her. “That’s personally something that I’ve always, always, always believed in,” she said. “So playing such a strong character makes me want to...
No-Cook Tuesdays resume March 7, farmers’ market May 2 in Bethel Park
No-Cook Tuesdays are close to returning to Bethel Park. “People love it,” Lindsey Sibert said. “I have lots of people tell me that they look forward to it and they can’t wait every week.” As manager of the Bethel Park Recreation Farmers’ Market, she also organizes the Tuesday events featuring...
Bethel Park cheer squad scores in competition, community service
A trip to Florida proved to be successful for Bethel Park High School’s competitive cheer squad. A sendoff event for the team scored a win of another kind. Bethel Park advanced to the final round of the National Universal Cheerleaders Association Cheer Championship at Walt Disney World in Orlando as...
‘I can focus better’: Students compliment Hampton High School addition
If the goal of expanding Hampton High School is to enhance the educational experience, junior Isabella English can provide a ringing endorsement. “I’ve actually improved my grades because of it,” she said. “I have a new place to study and I can focus better, without any distractions in the classroom....
Carnegie library program features colorful art of India
Instead of the fourth Thursday in November, India’s equivalent of Thanksgiving takes place in mid-January. But don’t expect turkey and stuffing for the festival of Sankranti. Those who celebrate traditionally take a different dietary approach. “They harvest fresh rice from the fields, and using that rice, they make a dish...
SAD no more: Live Well Bethel Park program addresses cures for winter blues
You’ll lose an hour of rest on March 12, but the tradeoff may be well worth it. When Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 o’clock that morning, it ushers in a natural remedy for what’s ailing plenty of Western Pennsylvanians. “Less sunlight during the day affects how our bodies regulate...
Hampton High School officially opens addition, media center
This isn’t your grandmother’s school library. Or yours, even. Hampton High School is hosting an open house from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16 for community members to get a close look at the recently completed addition to the building, including a library media center in which you’re not going...
Extra money going toward Monroeville road resurfacing
Monroeville’s road resurfacing program stands to receive a financial boost. Council members have agreed to raise the allocation by $500,000, for a total of $2 million this year, toward improving municipally maintained driving surfaces. “We have 110 miles of roads and 34 parking lots, which convert into about seven miles...
Monroeville Public Library launches Teen Film Festival
Back when, say, Steven Spielberg starting making movies, the process of using 8 mm film and editing it with a razor blade was far more cumbersome than how it’s done today. “Kids, with their iPhones and kind of basic programs, can really do so many cool things,” Benny Kuster, teen...
Historian provides overview of early Chartiers Valley railroads
Editor’s note: This article is the first of two parts. These days, the road less traveled is on the rails. By contrast, consider the scenario presented by the guest speaker at the most recent Bridgeville Area Historical Society meeting. “In 1908, there were nine passenger trains each way from Washington...
